Flock Chéile
by Illisandria Carthain
Summary: Artemis Fowl is the smartest twelve-year-old human on earth. Orion Fowl, his bubbly twin brother, is not. One day they do something monumentally stupid: they kidnap a fairy and ransom it for gold.  AU. AF re-telling. Holly/Artemis/Orion love triangle.
1. Tá dhá Éanlaithe

_**One: **Tá dhá Éanlaithe_

-Illisandria Carthain

* * *

Artemis read the email with bated breath. Could this have been it? Was this what he had been looking for? He turned to Butler, a sturdy giant of a man, and inquired, "And you are sure this is the real thing? Because _I_, for one, would not like a repeat of our previous failure."

Butler winced. Not that the last time had been _entirely_ his fault, precisely. It was moreso that Artemis had this nasty habit of passing the buck to him, although it had only been in jest. With the youth's icy-blue eyes and piercing glare it was hard for the bodyguard, or anyone _else_, for that matter, to say otherwise. Besides, it wasn't his place to question his charge's statements. No matter how ludicrous they were.

"Of course not, sir," The Eurasian rumbled. "I've cross-checked my sources, and they've all said that Mister Xuan is very reliable."

"Good. Then we shall depart immediately." The twelve-year-old genius shut the e-mail's window and began to walk out of the room, halting when Butler had cleared his throat. "Yes?"

"We shall be taking Orion with us, shan't we, sir?" Dark, somber eyes bored into chilled, blue ones.

Artemis took a few moments to ponder, and at last sighed. "Must we?" A curt nod and Artemis's eyes hardened, his mouth setting in a hard line. "Then yes, I suppose we shall _have_ to. _Please_ do your best to assure that he does _not_ do what he had _last_ time." The two of them paused, recalling, none too fondly, the incident in Cairo, Egypt. It had taken several thousands of dollars and many letters from the Fowl in conversation with the manservant currently to others of high-society to mend _that_ particular rift.

"Arty!" Speak of the devil, and surely he shall appear. He turned to face his identical twin, icy cool blue eyes almost glaring at jubilant, vibrant eyes of the same shade.

"_Yes_, Orion?" He heaved a deep sigh, resisting the urge to sink to his level and throw his palm to his forehead in an immediate exasperation.

"I was just wondering if you had read the latest installment of _Alice in the Country of Hearts_?" Orion's love for fantasy was only matched by his love for Japanese comic-books—especially those of the fantastic variety. His large repertoire of languages, second only to his twin's, allowed him to read those directly imported from Japan in the original text.

Artemis, however, was, and always had been, uninterested in his picture-books. "No. You know I despise that drivel."

Orion's face fell drastically, and his noises made the older of the two's eyebrow twitch. "Awwwww. But Arrrrtyyyyyy..." High-pitched whining pierced the air.

"And for the _last_ time, call me by my full name, Orion." He willed himself to breathe slowly, not to let his twin grind his nerves like he so usually had. Artemis counted to five within his head, and already the sound of his mantra was soothing him.

"I'll call you Artemis the day you give in and call me Ri." Orion's face was a picture of slyness, a trait usually hidden behind his bubbly exterior. It reminded Artemis that, within his very DNA, Orion was a Fowl. No matter how often he thought the contrary.

"The likelihood of that happening is as possible as you suddenly learning to speak fluent Gnommish."

"Oh yeah, that made-up fairy language you keep talking about." Orion smiled and nodded.

_It is **not** made up, you twit!_ Artemis thought, and with that, all of his patience and calm had evaporated. There was a heated glare between the elder and the younger twin, and then Butler cleared his throat again.

_They always seem to set each other off, don't they?_ Butler sighed in his head. Out loud he said, "It's time we prepared for our departure, sir."

"Ah, yes," Artemis sighed deeply and then turned to face Butler, and thus turning away from his ignorant sibling. "Juliet will be staying here to take care of Mother, then?" It wasn't so much of a question than a statement. She would be staying here to watch Mrs. Fowl, regardless of whether or not she wanted to. And the young woman that enjoyed wrestling _really_ didn't want to.

"Then...I'm coming too?" Orion's face lit up and he began to jump up and down in excitement, "I promise that this time I won't flirt with the ambassador's daughter."

_Like hell you won't, _Butler thought wryly. Instead of speaking his mind—a practice often frowned upon in the Butler family—he replied in a nonspecific way. "I shall get the jet. Be ready to leave in a few minutes." Then he left the room.

"Agreed," Artemis nodded at his manservant before scowling at Orion. "You'd best behave this time, or _else_."

"Okay! And can we get some meat-buns in Ho Chi Minh city?"

"How did you know that we were going to Ho Chi Minh city?" One twelve year old turned to face the other, skepticism written all over his face.

Orion grinned sheepishly, "Eheheh...I _kinda_ looked at your email." He shrugged, laughing at his brother's indignant anger. "What? It was just for a second, through! And it's not like your email password is that hard to figure out! _Aururm Est Potestas_. The Fowl family motto. Easy-peasy."

Artemis harrumphed and shook his head, "Let us just go." He turned to leave.

"Okay!" and Orion dashed after him.


	2. Cathair Ho Chi Minh

**_Two_**: _Cathair Ho Chi Minh_

-Illisandria Carthain

* * *

The hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City was a welcome sight for tourists, but extremely frustrating for the Fowl boys and their Butler. The heat of summer plagued them like nothing else, with the sun beating down, and the three of them could practically _smell_ the sweat in the air. Artemis was doing his best to avoid physical contact with any of the Vietnamese people walking around whereas Orion, on the other hand, was laughing, darting about from stall to stall. The youth's younger twin couldn't seem to get enough of the sights and sounds of the city. It frustrated Butler to no end, since it was his duty to keep an eye on both of the Fowl boys.

"Orion, would you please _cease this madness!" _Butler had at last begun to hiss at the younger, less cautious of the two wards. Orion froze and looked at their bodyguard with wide, sympathetic blue eyes. He looked like an dark, secretive angel, what with his cool blue eyes and glistening ebony hair. Despite himself, Butler found himself unable to resist his 'kicked puppy' face. The manservant sighed and shook his head, more at his own pathetic nature than the boy's childish antics.

Orion took that as gesture to mean, "Fine, I give up," and began to dart back and forth—at a _slightly_ lessened pace—again. He came to a stop quickly enough, something having caught his eye. "Ooh! Dumplings!"

Artemis rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed wearily. Orion was being such a handful. And to think, _he_ was one of the _esteemed_ Fowl family. "Buy him some—'dumplings', was it?—so that he will be quiet." Butler forked over a handful of bills to the merchant and grabbed some steaming-hot meat buns. He handed them to Orion, who hadn't bother to quiet his squeal of joy. Certainly, he had _none _of the Fowls' mannerisms.

"Mmf...dese 'r tasfy." The younger twin took a particularly noisy bite, and then moaned in appreciation. Orion then saw the disdain on Artemis's face and asked him, "You wan' fffom?"

His twin's lip raised in a sneer, and and he shook his head, "_No_, thank you. Butler!" The bodyguard looked at him sharply, suddenly at attention again. "Where are we to meet Mister Nguyen, again?"

"_Lé Thanh Ton_."

"Ah yes, _Lé Thanh Ton_. Of course." Artemis nodded and then looked around. "It should be somewhere near our current location, then." The boy pauses for a moment, and with a smirk, his blue eyes brighten, and he speaks again. "Ah, _there_ it is, and we have arrived at _just_ the right time."

The trio sat down at a table outside, underneath an large umbrella, and waited. And waited. And _waited_.

Orion constantly moved, looking at the sky and at the people around him, and seemed entirely unable to sit still for three seconds. The boy was very unlike his vampirish older brother and their manservant, the two of them sitting as though it were cool, despite _this_ heat, and extremely composed. Butler had only moved once or twice in the entire time to snatch flies out of the air around Artemis's and Orion's heads.

Orion shifted and looked into the eyes of his twin, trying and failing to whisper. "Hey Arty. Who is it we're meeting here again?"

_If **only** looks could kill. If only. _"A Mister _Nguyen Xuan_."

"And _why _are we meeting him, exactly?"The younger Fowl raised an eyebrow and grinned in a sly manner.

"One—_we_ are not meeting him. _I_ am meeting him, and _you_ are were simply here for the ride." Artemis is nearly at the end of his wits, thanks to his happy-go-lucky twin. He wanted to strangle him so badly, but it was not _proper_ for a Fowl to lose his composure. "Two," To his annoyance, his twin soon interrupts, and he sharply turns his glare at him as the younger of the two speaks.

"What about Butler?" Orion keeps on smiling as a maniac would, now entertaining himself by rocking back and forth and holding on to his toes.

"_Two_," Artemis continued, this through carefully clenched teeth, "If you _must_ know, _Butler_ and I are here to discuss something which I posted on the Internet perhaps three months ago. Something that Mister _Nguyen_ responded to. And if you mess this up..." Amazingly, Artemis couldn't think of a proper threat, his anticipation to meet with the man clouding his usually dastardly vision, so he let his sentence trail off, to his aggravation.

Orion sighed, letting go of his toes and flopping back in his chair lifelessly. "_Fiiiiiiine_." He ducked his head down and stared at the intricate pattern on the table. "Oh, and someone's heading our way."

Indeed it was so. A tall Vietnamese man, dressed in a waiter's apron walked towards their table. He bowed to Butler and asked, "More tea for you and your boys, sir Fowl?"

Butler said nothing, and Orion snickered. People often assumed that Butler, being the adult, was in charge when he was not. Artemis cleared his throat and the waiter shifted his focus from the hulking bodyguard to the thin, preteen genius. Or, at least, the one that come _off_ as one. Orion wasn't nearly as intelligent as his twin, but by no means _stupid_. However, Artemis had a tendency to flaunt his intellectual prowess in front of any and all persons, whereas Orion tended to be far more tad air-headed in front of others, and gifted with a more powerful imagination than his twin.

"Well, you can take off that disguise, Mister Xuan, and sit with us, so that we might discuss our business." Artemis pointed to the seat across from him.

Shock registered on the waiter, their Mister Nguyen's face followed by fear. "No, no, no. You have me confused for someone else. I am just a simple waiter!"

"Pfft..." Orion snorted, unable to contain himself, "Aw, c'mon _Nguyen-ahn_. Even I know you're not a waiter." Both Artemis and Nguyen were impressed. Artemis because he'd never thought his brother so astute. Nguyen because he'd believed Orion to be an airhead.

"_Indeed_. First off, you are wearing clothing that would be impossible to buy on a waiter's salary. Second, you are wearing signet rings, something not found on the fingers of the common people. Third, your English has a tinge of Oxford in it. Fourth and finally, your nails have the sheen of a recent manicure which would be stupid to do if you were in the workforce. The possibilities of all of those factors occurring in concurrence is highly improbable. Therefore, you are not a simple waiter but my informant, Mister _Nguyen Xuan_." There was a pause as Artemis allowed all of his truthful accusations to sink in. Then he smiled a smile that most people associated with vampires—with his pale skin and dark hair and pristine white teeth he often was mistaken for one himself—and gestured to the seat across from him again. "Do come and join us quickly, Mister Xuan. We have _business_ to discuss."

Nguyen sunk into the chair opposite Artemis and sighed, "What you've said is true. Amazing..."

"Isn't he?" Orion chirped cheerily, his chin resting on one manicured hand at the same time Artemis said dryly, "Hardly."

"A ragged apron does not a waiter make." Artemis finished with that little smile again.

Nguyen looked from Artemis to Orion in confusion. "Ah... But which one of you is Mister Fowl?"

"Both of us," Orion laughed and reclined in the chair, "But Arty was the one that contacted you. I just can't be left alone at home." Artemis glowered and Orion laughed again, "What? It's true!" Another short burst of laughter, "And you think that I can't handle myself and that I'm immature! Me, immature? Ha!" One look from Butler and several scalding ones from Artemis shut him up.

Nguyen turned his attention to Artemis when he cleared his throat, "Y-yes, Mister Fowl?"

"Business," His voice was calm and collected. "But first off, do not look so spooked Mister Xuan. I am unarmed. Butler, on the other hand...," Again, that vampiric smile that Nguyen was already staring to dislike greatly, "Has a Sig Sauer in his shoulder holster, two shrike knives in his boots, a derringer up his sleeve, garrotte wire in his watch, and two stun grenades."

"You forgot the cosh!" Orion chimed in. Surprisingly, Artemis actually nodded at this interruption.

"Ah, yes. Some good old ball-bearing cosh in his pocket. But he won't be using those weapons on you," Nguyen visibly relaxed.

It was Orion's turn to smile the vampire smile, "Oh no. See, Butler could kill you a hundred different ways just without weapons. So he probably won't use any of the weapons on you." Now Nguyen was scared of not only Artemis and Butler, but of Orion as well. It seems to this man that perhaps he shouldn't judge people so quickly. As if one pale, teenaged son of a crime lord, and his mammoth of a bodyguard, wasn't bad enough, it seemed his twin—once thought to be rather kind and more laid back than his brother—was just as ruthless.

Artemis was not in the least surprised. _He is a Fowl, after all, _he thought in what was almost a proud tone. _Even if he doesn't act like so **much** of the time_.

"So...," Artemis sipped at his tea, "You answered my Internet advertisement, Mister Nguyen. I do hope you have more for us than the last dead trail we followed. You see, if you do _not_, Butler here may not be so..." He trails off, and the manservant coldly cracks his knuckles, while the twins grin a little bit. "_Kind_."

"A-ah, yes...," Nguyen nodded, suddenly growing sweaty in the wake of a new fear. "I know where what it is you're looking for _is_."

"And I am to believe you _how_, sir? For all I know, you could be leading me into an ambush." _Not that you would_, his glare finished his unspoken words, and he finished speaking. "You _know_ that it would be foolish now that you have seen Butler."

"I—yes, I mean, no, sir," He stumbles before continuing. "Here," The terrified man fumbled for through the contents of his wallet and pulled out a Polaroid swiftly, sliding it across the table. Artemis picked it up and his heart began to race immediately. Orion squirmed over to see.

"Looks like a Halloween monster hand to me." He remarked, crinkling up his pale little nose in distaste.

It did, with its dried skin, and thin, curled, small hands, with their filthy, cracked nails. The picture was of the underside of a fire escape in whatever stowaway the creature in the picture resided. Shadows fell across the street and, reaching from beneath an impenetrable curtain of black, was a mottled, rather _green_ hand.

"Explain." Artemis commanded, his voice more than enough reason for the man to come to attention and respond.

"She is a healer near _Tu Do_ Street. She works in exchange for rice wine. Drunk, all the time."

"Ah..." _Drinking_, he thought with a smug expression. That had been one consistent fact that his research had gleaned. Artemis stood, Orion and Butler following suit, all three of them straightening their white polo shirts. "Show us."

Nguyen paled, holding up his hands. "Th-that wasn't part of the deal. Information only. I don't want to get a curse placed upon my head."

A dark chuckle from Artemis and yet another knuckle crack from Butler conveyed the message. The time for choice had _long_ passed.

The four of them filed into a jeep and began to head through _Ho Chi Minh_ city, following the terrified Nguyen's directions. They drove through a sea of people with shoals of mopeds darting through them. Soon it became to narrow for the car and they exited the motor vehicle. Nguyen gave one hasty look to behind them when Artemis's cold voice broke the white noise of city living.

"Do not even think of trying to escape, Mister Xuan, unless you wish to feel a sharp and fatal pain between your shoulder blades." Meaning that he would be _dead_.

Nguyen's gaze traveled between the cold, indifferent gaze of Artemis, to the unconcerned gaze of Orion, to the dark, unforgiving gaze of Butler. Those dark blue eyes spoke of no mercy. "I-I won't run."

_If I get out of this alive,_ Nguyen decided, _I'm done. No more mixing of magic and crime. No more shady Internet deals. No more interacting with sons of Irish crime lords. I'm done. _His thoughts trailed, and he finished, _**If** I survive._

...

While Orion was fantasizing about all the comics he had seen set here, and dreaming up the possibility of a steampunk Vietnam war story idea, Artemis was attempting to rein in his excitement. This was it. The hours of research and sorting through stories and folklore would finally pay off. Hours of sifting through ridiculous claims and false advertisements. Finally, he was only moments away from at last seeing The Book. This one venture could have very well been the metaphorical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

_Heh. Pot of gold. _He'd made a joke, which was _highly_ unusual, but he was in high spirits today. It was excusable behavior.

Around them, hundreds of people and mopeds swarmed. They brushed elbows with the esteemed Fowls without ever realizing the implications of such a thing, and one person even tried to pick Orion's pocket. That poor individual got his fingers snapped by Butler and after that there was a wide wall of separation around the four of them and the commerce of the city.

They soon arrived at their destination—a dark alley in the outskirts of town. Nguyen pointed to under the fire escape. "There. She is there. She never comes out, even to get spirits she sends a runner. May I go _now_?"

Orion giggled, thinking the man's words humorous. His brother was far too paranoid for such things. It was hardly likely that Artemis would let the Vietnamese man leave before he had successfully finished his _business_. He began to wonder what his brother was _really_ looking for as Butler handed him a pair of night vision goggles. I_s it a dragon's egg? Or a princess trapped in the body of a crone?_ His imagination ran away with him.

Artemis focused the goggles until he could better see the squat figure in the shadows. It looked like an old woman wrapped in a shawl. He leaned in a bit farther, "Excuse me, Madam. I have need of something you may be able to give me."

She wobbled slightly and croaked out, "Wine, English."

Well the aversion to light was there, as was the gift of tongues.

"Irish, actually. Let us talk about my proposition."

She held up one spindly finger, her voice harsh and grating. "Wine first. Then talk."

"Butler," The manservant handed over a small flask, which Artemis held out just in front of the edge of the shadows. He removed his goggles just in time to see a mottled green hand snatch the bottle of Irish whiskey right out of his hands. He swallowed a bubble of giddy laughter. "Pay our good friend in full Butler."

Orion's imagination was in overdrive. _It could be a beastly, twisted woman. Or perhaps it was a dragon in human form. Or an elven princess. Or a troll. Or perhaps even a goblin. Maybe I could slay the beast. Maybe Arty was going to capture it and try to break the spell on it. Maybe he was going to kiss it. Maybe..._

Artemis was a tad too occupied to notice the stupid grin that indicated daydreams on Orion's face, unlike Butler. He just laughed silently to himself. This had been what he was looking for! Someone who held the Book, but was too desperate a situation to deny what he was about to do. In his joy, the boy had even even forgotten to add the threatening tone to his words. _How very unlike me_, he thought with a cheshire cat's grin.

...

Nguyen clutched the suitcase to his chest and scurried out of the alley and away from the Fowl boys and their 'Butler', now that they were preoccupied. _Never again,_ he promised himself, not even bothering to count the cash, _never again will I do this._

_..._

Artemis slipped the goggles back over his eyes and he bent down so that he was eye-level with the woman. She licked a drop—the last drop—off the mouth of the bottle and then spoke again.

"Irish. You have bad tooth, headache, I heal."

"No thank you. Aside from a slight allergy to dust mites I am in perfect health."

Orion snickered at that. Artemis had more than a _slight_ dust mite allergy. There was his aversion to sunlight, sociopathic tendencies, and his insatiable avarice. But a healer, no matter HOW important she was to his dear brother, could not cure that. Unless she was a fairy. _That would be so cool! _His eyes glazed over again and he tuned out of this world.

"No, what I want from you is The Book."

The woman perked up and shook her head, "No, no. I am healer. You want book you go to library."

There was a dry chuckle from the elder Fowl and he smiled in his vampiric manner, "No, you are not a healer. You are a fairy, leprechaun, _p'shóg, ka-dalun_, sprite, take your pick. And I want your Book."

The woman paused for a minute and then whipped the cloth off of her face, her features leaping out of the darkness like a Halloween mask. Golden eyes were a slit beneath a brow melted by alcohol, pointed ears drooping and hooked nose dripping. "If you know about the Book then you know of the magic I have. I could kill you with a snap of my fingers."

Again Artemis laughed cruelly, almost sadistically. "If you had any real magic left you wouldn't be here, healing warts for alcohol. No, I'd say that all these years in the realm of the humans, poisoning yourself with their spirits has completely sapped all magic you might have once had." There was a pause as the fairy processed this information. Then Artemis began again, "So, You have two options now."

_Fairy. Fairies are real. _The other Fowl was in a daze. _Fairies are real, and my cynical older brother suspected it, no, **knew** of it, before I did. And I didn't even suspect a thing. I made fun of him. What else does Arty know that I don't?_

"One—you keep the Book and we leave now, never to come back."

_What would a millionaire son of a crime-lord want with a book belonging to a fairy?_ Orion asked himself, his lips curled in a frown as he thought.

He imagined Artemis's answer being a dry, _This is none of your concern._

"Yes, I chose this option." The sprite said quickly, nodding.

"Ah, but you'll be dead within the day." Artemis wagged a finger at the healer and grinned.

"Foolish human! I will live many of your lifetimes. I will outlive you by many centuries. Even those tethered to the human realm live through many ages." She laughed raucously.

"Not with half a pint of holy water in you," Artemis gestured to the empty whiskey bottle on the ground before her.

She blanched and then screamed, a high, keening sound. "Holy water? You have killed me, human!" She poked her stomach tentatively and looked up, "And the second option?" She could feel the pain beginning, curling in the depths of her stomach.

"You give us the Book for ten minutes, and we give you your magic back." Orion was amazed at his brother's negotiation skills and wondered, _What is in this 'book'? Is it the secret to immortality? To alchemy? To obtaining magic? What?_

The fairy's jaw dropped, "Return my magic? Not possible."

"Quite, actually. Within my possession I have two ampoules. One a vial of water from the fairy well sixty feet below Tara—possibly one of the most magical places in the world. It will counteract the holy water."

"And the other?"

"A little shot of man-made magic. It is a combination of virus that feeds on alcohol and a growth agent. It will purge all the rice wine from your system, remove your dependency to it, bolster your failing liver, and have you zipping around like you are a thousand years old again."

The fairy licked her lips. _Rejoin the People? How very tempting..._

"How do I trust you human? You have already stabbed me in the back once."

_Good point_, Orion thought, _How far can one really trust Arty? Answer—only about as far as you can throw him._

"Good point."

_Told you so._

"Here is the deal, then. I will give you the water on good faith and then, after I have seen the Book, you get the booster. Take it or leave it."

_What a ruthless businessman. How very like Father Arty is._

The fairy considered for a second and then thrust out a bony wrist, "Deal."

A soft smile played across Artemis's lips and he nodded, "I thought you'd say that. Butler!"

Butler pulled out a dart gun and two darts filled with liquid. He loaded the clear one into the weapon and shot it into the sprite's arm. She stiffened and then relaxed, sighing.

"Strong magic..."

_Yes, but probably not as strong as yours when you get the second shot, I assume._ Orion nodded to himself as the fairy began to rummage in her filthy robe.

Artemis held his breath; here it was. The one thing that would put the Fowls back on the map. And at it's head would be Artemis Fowl the Second. He had completely forgotten about his captivated brother. _Once I have the Book_, he thought, _I will be able to enact part two of the plan_.

She pulled out her hand, closed and palm up. _That's the book? Is it that tiny?_

_This is The Book. At long last..._

"No use to you anyways. Written in the old tongue."

Her fingers uncurled and, sitting in her palm, there it was. A small, golden book, about the size of a matchbook, on a chain. Artemis gently took the Book from the fairy and handed it to Butler, who photographed every page with excruciating detail using a hi-rez digital camera. Soon every wafer-thin page was stored on the camera's memory chip and Artemis handed the Book back to the fairy. He had his aide send the pictures to his portable phone, and then email them to the Fowl Manor server. By the time the ten minutes were up, the entire Book was now digitally compiled onto a computer at the Fowl's Manor. He then returned the tome to its owner.

Artemis was buzzing with contained excitement that leaked from him to Orion, who just couldn't keep still. He stood up, dusted off his pants, straightened his shirt, and nodded, "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Wait, human! The other potion." the fairy stood up and reached out one hand shakily. Artemis raised one eyebrow as he turned around to face her, night vision goggles around his neck.

Orion nodded, "The second injection. You _owe_ her."

"Ah right," Artemis's smile didn't reach his eyes, but it was there nonetheless. "The second injection. I must warn you, the process of detoxification is not going to be pleasant."

She sneered and gestured to the filth all around her, "Do you think this is pleasant? I want to fly again!"

_Fly...they can fly. _Orion drifted off in daydreams again.

Artemis gestured to Butler who loaded the second vial into the gun. This shot went into her carotid artery. The fairy lurched slightly and then fell over, unconscious and quivering violently.

"Let's go," The trio began to leave as the elder Fowl twin commented without a lick of concern for the suffering fairy. "Hundreds of years worth of alcohol leaving the body is not a pretty sight."

...

The Butlers had, for years, protected the Fowl family, starting with Virgil Butler who became bodyguard, advisor, and chef to Lord Hugo de Fóle during one of the Norman crusades. Since then, the Butler children had been sent off, at the age of ten, to complete their training—which included but was not limited to: Cordon Bleu cooking, marksmanship, a custom blend of martial arts, emergency medical training, and information technology. Then, once they exited the academy, they were paired to a Fowl. If a Fowl was unavailable, the Butlers were eagerly snapped up by wealthy families. Also, once a Fowl an a Butler were paired, they were paired for life. Nothing could separate them.

The same could be said of Butler and Artemis and Orion. He was the first Butler to be paired to two Fowls at once and he had been watching over them since they were born. And now, in their ten and second year of life, he was more than their bodyguard. He was the closest thing they had to a father since their father disappeared somewhere in the Bay of Kola in Russia. And they were the closest thing he had to friends.

Once they had boarded the plane home Butler finally asked the question that had been bugging him at the same time Orion did. Birds of a feather did fly together, after all.

"Why did you give her the antidote? Why not let her die and keep the Book?"

Artemis looked up from his PowerBook where he was getting a head start on the translations. "Simple," he said, "A body is evidence and we wouldn't want the People all over us."

"But the sprite was just as capable of telling her people the truth." Orion protested.

"She will hardly remember giving us The Book. I mixed a slight amnesiac in with the booster. The last few weeks will be a blur. And besides," He smirked in an offhand way, "I highly doubt, even if she _did_ remember, that she would tell anyone she gave a human The Book."

Orion and Butler nodded. _Always two steps ahead, that Artemis. Two, after all, is better than **one**._


End file.
